It is usually a specific request; or someone complaining about the connectivity for their devices that may communicate back to a server that they use for status. When it does't work seeing an email from Orion saying it is not working keeps them informed. Be aware!!! As this does NOT prevent phone calls, it causes more; and emails to. In one case, we have key lock boxes that connect to the network and are managed (PW and key status) through a software. Cheap Chinese electronics caused the devices to dump the tcp/ip stacks on a large multicast network. Even once isolated; the devices have issues if you do not restart the box and plug it in and reconnect at the server in the 'correct' way. So they got a lot of disconnects, but now (after several months of calls and emails) they understand the alert; and know to check their systems if a disconnect shows and my alert did not trigger. Now i do not get hardly any calls unless a box moves, or a new one goes in (but it took several months of taking those calls and re explaining to get there).
Another case is our Telehealth group; they want monitoring on projectors and the digital control consoles for each room.... that too, will be a specific alert to their group, and CC me and my partner in crime so we are informed. Alerts may be a projector bulb has XXXXXXXX life hours, it needs to be replaced. OR as serious as Room Control Console XXX in Room ABC.1234 is not connected (or unreachable) ... of course with this type of stuff it depends how robust the mib table is and how much information I can give them; more than up/down.
Even more so, access layer type stuff goes to our operations team mainly, where as a Distribution or Core switch issue will go to everyone (which includes the engineers).
I have another NOC-Type view that highlights how we seperate these items; using 2 (Two) AjaX views...I will see if i can post that on the NOC view request page before this time tomorrow.
Just an addendum to watching green change to yellow and red and know whether or not there is an alert that you or the Network team should even care about.
I am working with our Rx Group to fill in the app and device monitoring that our 'Other' Alerting system run by the DC people really isn't watching.. also the key points of contact and a proper, non cryptic email suits the suits better than a bunch of #'s and characters that even our team has to decode. But of course Most of the Rx alerts will be going to that group.
**** With this, on a critical system, i will create an alert for our Help/Service Desk with mild information that they can use to inform callers about an outage seconds to minutes after it happens. * This gives us an extra minute or two to get that Network Event Notification email out to all the groups; which has the full outage and tech deplaoyment to fix the issue type info.